Sponsors (2)
The bill trades short-term budget predictability for states and a preserved congressional appropriations role against substantial cuts to many targeted K–12 programs and a risk of funding rigidity, sudden shortfalls, and higher long-run costs.
State governments and the schools/programs they fund would receive a predictable, stable baseline equal to FY2025 program totals, helping states plan budgets and avoid immediate program interruptions in FY2026.
Taxpayers and the public retain congressional control over annual appropriations, preserving Congress's ability to review and change funding levels through the normal appropriations process.
Students in low-income, migrant, English-learner, neglected/delinquent, and other vulnerable groups would lose multiple targeted federal K–12 supports (Title I, Title I Part B assessments, Migrant Education, Neglected and Delinquent, Supporting Effective Instruction, English acquisition, Title IV Part A, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers), reducing services like extra academic resources,
Locking future grant levels to FY2025 totals would freeze funding distribution patterns and prevent adjustments for enrollment changes, inflation, and shifting state needs, which can reduce equity and responsiveness of K–12 services over time.
If Congress does not appropriate the specified amounts, states and the schools/programs that rely on these baselines could face sudden funding shortfalls relative to expectations, forcing abrupt cuts or service disruptions.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Replaces ten ESEA formula grants with a single state block grant based on each state's FY2025 funding and repeals those program statutes effective Oct 1, 2025.
Creates a single annual federal block grant to each State equal to the amount that State received in FY2025 from ten existing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) formula grant programs, with payments beginning in FY2026 and subject to annual appropriations. Repeals the statutory authority for those ten formula programs effective October 1, 2025, and limits the definition of “State” to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The change consolidates multiple targeted Title programs (for example, Title I, Title III, Title IV, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Rural Education, and Indian Education formula grants) into one block grant under state control, eliminating the separate formula grants and their statutory requirements as of the effective date.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Timothy Burchett · Last progress January 31, 2025